These beautiful mini tins, the Pocket Folio, are perfect to surprise anyone with a little present. They are mid-century styled, book-shaped metal tins that come complete with practical and helpful tools: from the puncture repair kit supplied with ‘On Yer Bike’ to the bandage and medical swabs provided with our ‘First Aid for Beginners’ tin. There are six different types, and I am sure you will find your perfect one! ;)CREATIVE DRAWING PENCIL KIT

Today I want to share with you my amazing discovery on my trip to California, the Indestructibles, a collection of books that are chew proof, rip proof, non-toxic and 100% washable.

In the beginning I was quite sceptical, a book that was rip proof and chew proof was something I didn't thought it was possible to find in a book! The first thing my little one does with paper is rip it off and then put all the bits to his mouth...! So I was gladly surprised when the book didn't melt in his mouth and there was no paper bits anywhere after a few minutes, and after all the trips in California by car the book is still standing and ready for another trip!

I think this is the best book I've ever seen, I can give it to him and I am completely relaxed that he couldn't rip it, it's non toxic and if it falls I can wash it, my dream toy!

The best thing is the book is colorful, great to teach and a funny way to entertain your little one when you are travelling.

So, if you are searching for a baby don't doubt it, this is the best one!

29 August 2017

Ok, I have to say I loved this advert from Hugo Away, it's funny and original, well done! ;)Playing guitar is like having sex. You can't just stay in missionary position. Learn the greatest guitar player's technics in the world.

Lagom, a Swedish word that means a lifestyle choice with balance; it comes from the proverb "Lagom är bäst", just the right amount is best. Lagom wants you to focus in what's best for you, not what's perfect!

This book will give you some tips to enter you to this lifestyle, trying to improve your life making it less stressful and more focus on the things you like and love.

Some of the tricks you can find in this book will sound basic, the thing is to apply all of them at the same time, making your life change for better (of course!)

I loved the delicious recipes this book contains, I can't wait to try the onion chutney! ;)

This is a book to enjoy while you are reading it, it has some great ideas, projects and some very useful tricks, but remember that you have to adapt them in your life, step by step Lagom will be your way of life.

And I think now that everyone has started working again after the holidays and started school is the best moment to introduce these little changes, not all the same day, simply little steps to make your life improve and focus on what's really best for you!

28 August 2017

It's the end of the summer and Journalist Penelope Trubble has returned home to help her father with the Private Eye business. With a contest prize of ten thousand dollars on the line, the town is full of summer vacationers on the hunt for the rare 1913 Liberty Head nickel that was lost to Bohemian Lake over fifty years ago. With the help of spitfire local, Eve Berns and Cody Lumos, the town's handsome new detective, amateur sleuth Lucky Penny takes the bait and goes diving for the story behind the legend of the million dollar coin. Unfortunately, her dive turns up more bodies than missing treasure. The deeper she digs, the more secrets she finds hidden in the sand, but will she be buried along with them?

Penelope Trubble wants to find a good story, but instead she finds a lot of bodies and a murder!

With humour a lot of interesting characters and some hidden treasure Rachel Stapleton has created a funny cozy mystery that will keep you glued till the last page.

This is the first book where we can enjoy this amateur sleuth, but she seems to find trouble everywhere so I am sure we will see her soon!

In this book we fill find mystery, friendship and a little bit of love, perfect when you are searching for an escape read, don't you think?

When Rachel and Alex witness one of the most famous accidents in Paris, their life will change forever making them obsessed with conspiracy and secrets... will they find the truth and themselves inside all the tales? We'll see...

"Through the window, the lights of Paris blurred agains the night sky. She inhaled the scent of him, and mused that she was exquisitely happy. Her heart was full of the brim of happiness. How many moments in life could you say that about?"

History books are not my style, but this one kept me intrigued since the first page, what could link two little friends from 1920 with the mysterious Lady Di accident?

I have to admit that I've never been fan of the monarchy, but I remember the accident and all the conspiracy stories within, that we can still hear now... it was interesting refreshing the memory about all the success and a curious theory to know why she was in Paris the fateful night!

Mary and Wallis are a big part of this story, with their friendship, love affairs and secrets like a good monarchy has to be. Their story will keep you awake, wanting to know more about them and what could have connected them with the tragic accident, let me say that it will keep you guessing till the last page.

This book was like a history lesson but more interestingly full of drama, I am sure not everything is true, but I enjoyed every page!

Ready for a travel to history?

Interested? Here's a guest post from the author!

When friendships implode

My mum had two friends, Joan and Peggy, who had known each other since school days, had been each other’s bridesmaids, and had lived near each other and stayed close pals right up until they were both in their eighties – and then they fell out spectacularly and never spoke again.

It happened over lunch in a Chinese restaurant. Peggy’s husband had died a few months before, while Joan’s had been reduced to a childlike state by Alzheimer’s. He watched across the table, uncomprehending, as Joan complained how hard it was to look after him on her own. That morning, she said, he had got into the shower fully dressed and turned the water on.

“At least you’ve still got a husband,” Peggy remarked, and that was it. Joan launched into a tirade about how awful her life was and said frankly she would rather be widowed. Peggy, whose loss was still raw, stood up and threw money on the table then stormed out. My mum tried everything she could think of to heal the breach but they avoided each other from then on till their deaths, despite both being lonely old ladies.

I’ve been thinking a lot about female friendship after writing in Another Woman’s Husband about the dramatic implosion of Wallis Simpson and Mary Kirk’s relationship. In their case, the balance of power had been uneven from the start, when they met as teenagers at summer camp. Wallis had always been the leader and Mary the eager disciple who gradually became disillusioned with her friend’s moral character. Once they set their caps at the same man, it was always going to be volatile, and finally Mary was the one who lit the blue touchpaper.

There’s a phrase “friends for a reason, for a season or for life”. Sometimes friendships have a natural lifespan because your kids are in the same class at school, or you live next door, or work in the same office, then you find you don’t have enough in common to keep making the effort once the original reason for the friendship is no longer there. That’s fair enough. But it seems a crying shame to lose a long-term friendship that has withstood many tests over the years. Joan and Peggy’s story made me to decide to do all I can to hang onto old friends, even if we see less of each other due to geography, child-rearing and busy lives. To any friends who are reading this: there’s no escape; you’re stuck with me now!

Mary doesn’t seem to have missed Wallis and did not entertain the idea of them being reconciled: “She has been hateful towards me,” she wrote to her sister Anne. But I’m convinced that Wallis regretted losing the one person who had stuck by her from the age of fifteen, who knew the person she really was and not the controversial creature she became. She may have more or less written Mary out of her autobiography but I don’t think she ever wrote her out of her heart.

The beautiful and simple Nest by the artist Lance McGregor will make you dream of filling it with money just for the pleasure to break it and see what's inside! It's a little expensive (more than $200) but if it makes you safe it's worth the money, don't you think? ;)

It's crafted in 3D printed porcelain and steel and it's a numbered edition!

This is my second shipment of "The Stationery Selection" and let me say that each month it surprises me with something beautiful and useful at the same time! It's not a cheap subscription, but if you love stationery it's worth the money and there's always a waiting list to buy the box!

I will show you each product that came inside this month box, you will want all of them...

First of all the Midori MD Note Light and the Midori MD Note Cover. This is a light notebook, perfect to fit in all the pockets because it doesn't take up a lot of space, perfect as a travel diary!

There's never enough washi in my life and the beautiful Classiky x ShumShum will be perfect to decorate my letters and notebooks. I liked specially this design because it represents all the landscape you can see during the Shimanami Kaido travel, a beautiful walk through the Japanese Islands.

The magnet markers are pretty and useful to mark the quotes I want to share of my book reviews, you will see them a lot from now on.

The Yamamoto Paper Kagane envelopes are one of those things that are so pretty that you don't want to use them, just stare... but I am sure the lucky penfriend that receive them will love them as much as me.

The Mundane Flower Petal Washi stickers was something I was searching, they are so delicate and pretty that no matter where you use them it will make it special!

I was surprised by the Pentel Enezel Tradio Gel Pen (black), so delicious to write with it. And the Pilot Fude Makase Brush Pen (grey) to use in calligraphy will be perfect. (I am still learning calligraphy as you can see...)

And the last one, but my favourite, the Kitta Washi Strips, some beautiful designs that came cut and with a small package to have them always on your pencil case.

What do you think? I am sure you have so many words to describe this surprising box. I can't wait to discover what new products will come in the next one! ;)